The present invention relates to a portable neonatal care unit having means for obtaining operational temperature by controlled exchange of thermal energy between the transparent infant enclosure and an internal reservoir. Electrical power is not required.
A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which is also referred to as an incubator or an isolette, is used primarily in the hospitals and maternal care centers of industrial nations to maintain a controlled environment for infants, especially premature babies, under optimum conditions until they are strong enough to survive in the ambient, natural environment. These apparatuses are technically complex and are equipped with sophisticated electronic sensors for monitoring the environment and the vitals of the patient. Each NICU requires an electrical power source for operation. The physical unit and the on-board electronics are fabricated for proper servicing and maintenance by knowledgeable professionals in a properly-equipped, healthcare facility.
Modern, commercial NICU's are largely unavailable to physicians, health care workers, midwives, and families, who are located outside of industrial nations and/or in disaster zones. In addition to the high cost of acquisition, the complexity of these units and technical operation makes the devices largely unattainable for users without special training. Significant financial resources are also required to service the devices, provide an inventory of spare components, and retain technical staff to affect the proper maintenance and repairs.
In order to make NICU's more universally available to patients, especially those who are born in remote locales, disaster zones, and/or developing nations, the present invention has been developed as a robustly-built device that is easy to deploy in virtually any location inhabited by humans. Optimal, operational temperature is attained by controlled exchange of thermal energy between the transparent enclosure for the infant and an internal reservoir. Operation is simple for all users, including those who are illiterate. All components in a proximity to the infant are non-toxic. The whole invention may be cleaned with soap and fresh water.
The present invention does not require connection to an electrical power source. A warm environment for the infant is provided through the utilization of virtually any external heat source, including but not limited to, solar radiation, hot water from a geothermal source, wood fire, gas or kerosene-fired water heater, oil burner, coal heater, or electric water heater. Furthermore, the infant enclosure and the internal reservoir of the NICU are engineered to maintain temperature by minimizing thermal exchange with the ambient environment.
By design, the present invention may also be utilized to help reduce the body temperature of an infant or toddler, who is afflicted with an elevated body temperature as a result of disease, injury, or illness. Cool or cold water may be obtained from external sources, including but not limited to, wells, underground springs, melted snow, or melted ice. A therapeutic, microenvironment may be maintained around the patient even in a location that has no air conditioning.
Under impoverished conditions that are not uncommon in developing nations or in disaster zones, theft or looting of machinery for actual or scrap value is often used as a source of revenue. Unlike modern commercial NICU's, the invention contains components of little or no intrinsic value; hence, would not be a likely target of opportunity.